By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Royalty was everywhere at the opening day of the 2023 Wood County Fair.
As Wood County celebrates its 150th fair, Junior Fair royalty past , present and future were spotlighted during Sunday’s opening day events.
The Pratt Pavilion was filled with dozens of past and current junior fair kings and queens and other royal court members as they came together to reminisce with one another, friends and family members, and present and past fair board members. The event lived up to this year’s theme: 150th Fair Family Reunion, with “fair family” being the key.
Betty Michaelis Anderson wore her 1961 Miss Wood County sash with pride, still looking like a queen at 81. She recalled then-fair board president Carroll Frank encouraged her to compete.
Her mother, Mary, had won the Mrs. Wood County competition in 1956, but Anderson was leery to compete while she was in high school.
“When I was in college, I agreed to compete,” she said. There wasn’t a talent show, The contest, which was not yet associated with the junior fair, required contestants to wear a bathing suit and a formal, and participate in an interview to talk about their activities.
She didn’t necessarily follow the usual path for a queen candidate, she laughed. As the oldest of eight children, she and her siblings all participated in 4-H. She was a member of a girls’ club which offered sewing and cooking projects.
“I really wanted to show animals, so I joined a boys’ club. I raised and showed a steer. That steer and I went through the ditches and fields on Hannah Road,” she said.
Number nine seemed to be her lucky number, she learned after the fact. She and her mother were both the number nine contestants. Her mother was pregnant at the time Anderson was crowned Miss Wood County and that baby, Kim, was born on Nov. 9 and went on to be a Wood County Junior Fair Queen and an Ohio State Fair Queen.
Brother Garry Michaelis also was royalty. He was Junior Fair King in 1971. Leadership was part of the family fabric. As longtime 4-H members, “We wanted to be involved in 4-H and in the community to become leaders,” he said.
Janell Brinker Vickers wore the queen’s crown in 1970, but her extended family has been part of fair royalty over many decades. Dick Brinker was first runner-up in 1960 and Paul Brinker was king in 1962. Deanne Hentges Corken was first runner-up in 1980; Alan Brinker was king in 1986; Jeremy Hahn was king in 1990. Leesa Corken Caris was the 2008 queen, followed by first runner-up queen Raegen Vickers Szablewski in 2013, first runner-up kin Owen Brinker in 2021 and most recently Mariah Hahn, queen in 2022.
Bob Strow, who was king in 1983, shared about his royalty experience when he was 16 years old and a junior in high school. He wore a blue shirt and yellow tie for the interview. During the course of the meal, which was before his interview, he dropped food on his shirt. He went into the interview knowing he had a large blueberry stain on his shirt.
“I ended up winning, even with that blueberry stain,” he said with a smile. “So today when I interview students for the king and queen, I tell them, ‘It’s not what your shirt looks like; it’s overcoming obstacles and showing what you have inside.”
Jenny Trumbull Morlock and Rob Morlock’s king and queen connection is not as blood relatives but as a married couple. Rob was crowned king in 1984 and Jenny was queen in 1987. Rob recalled being shocked at the win. Jenny has a fond memory of receiving a note from longtime 4-H leader Carroll Frank. “In the note, he told me he saw 4-H in my heart.” Little did she know at the time that 4-H would be her career, as she is the program assistant for 4-H youth development for Ohio State University Extension-Wood County.
New king and queen crowned
The evening’s Junior Fair Parade at the fair culminated with the passing of the royal duties to the 2023 Junior Fair Queen and King. Katie Oestreich, who represented Eastwood FFA was named Junior Fair Queen. Drew Thomas, representing the 4-H Leadership Board, was crowned Junior Fair King.
“My endless hard work in 4-H in the county and statewide contributed to being named Junior Fair King,” said Thomas, a rising senior at Bowling Green High School. He is an active member of CarTeens, Junior Leadership Board and a 4-H camp counselor. He is also vice president and former student adviser of the Bowling Green FFA. At the state level, he is involved in the Ohio 4-H Teen Leadership Council and received a State FFA Degree.
Oestreich, who said she was shocked when they announced her name, graduated from Eastwood High School this spring and will attend college this fall. She is a 4-H member, but her most significant involvement has been with FFA. She served as chapter president and vice president for the Eastwood FFA chapter, but in 2022, she was State FFA Treasurer. It was a life-changing experience, especially as she put over 30,000 miles on her car driving all over Ohio and to Iowa. A highlight of her state officer time was traveling to Costa Rica.
“The support I received from my family and friends helped me through the process. My best friend was queen last year and she really helped me. My family, advisers and friends are the real reason I’m here. Without their support, I would be nothing,” she said.
Thomas also appreciated all the support he has received, especially his parents, Holliday and Andrew Thomas, who drove him to and from Columbus for trips to the state council he serves on. He also thanked his 4-H advisers, his mom and Kayla Richards, and FFA adviser Stephanie Conway.
Oestreich and Thomas know that fair week will be one with little sleep but many rewards as they attend livestock shows and interact with fairgoers throughout the week.
“There will be lots of working shows, little sleep, handing out awards and being a role model for the younger generations of future members,” Oestreich said.
